Madden NFL 07

Posted: 08/22/06

Xbox 360 owners were dropped in the backfield last season when their only hope for a kick-ass pro football game ended up sailing wide right. EA has the NFL license exclusively, so it's been holding players hostage since last year, as they awaited a hopefully improved Madden NFL 07. And in many ways, EA has delivered a much better game that doesn't skimp on the options, but a few personal fouls still leave plenty of room for improvement.

Last year's game was a touchdown or two short of expectations, and EA has piled on the modes to try and fix it. All the old standbys are here. You get a franchise mode that allows you to run an NFL program all the way down to the practice schedule. You scout and sign players, attend the off-season combine, and put all your research to practice in the draft as you attempt to replace your aging stars. You can do it all--snag key free agents from your rivals, create your own players, and take total control on the field. Everything’s here if you're interested, and for those who truly love football games for more than just head-to-head play, the franchise mode certainly delivers.

The new addition is the superstar mode, which allows you to play god and create a human being specifically engineered for the rigors of NFL play. You begin by selecting its parents based upon their IQ, hobbies, and occupation. Then the game spits out a blue-chipper that you can either accept as a perfect creation, or scrap and choose the parents again. This is important because the parents determine the player's position, so if you have your heart set on a QB, but end up with a DB, you have to keep trying until you get it right.

In the superstar mode, the position is incredibly important because you&'ll be taking every snap, grinding through every practice, and completing every drill from that position's perspective. It sounds like a great idea, and it is. But the execution falls short. The problem is the camera. You have no control over it, so if the play goes away from your superstar you're one...bored as all get out or two...fumbling with the B button trying to change the perspective.

This isn't as big a deal with positions like quarterback and runningback, but for all the others, the mode is basically a snore. There are some light RPG elements in that you can upgrade your player mid-game by accumulating points from successful plays, but when you can hardly see what's going on with each down, it's hard to care. A first person perspective would have served this mode well.

Another issue is that when your superstar is not on the field you're still forced to watch the game, albeit in a sped-up fashion. You also have no control over which team drafts you, which is certainly realistic, but not necessarily fun.

There are some mini-games in their rookie season including the 40-yard dash, which may sound like a great idea, but figuring out what's being asked of you takes far too long. Another new addition, weight lifting, fares a little better. Then you get all the player specific drills from the older versions as well.

Of course Madden NFL 07 has online features, and there are some cool tweaks that make it a little more than just an opportunity to talk smack to old friends around the globe. Of course, you can still do that, but you can also jump into his franchise mode and try to play the role of spoiler. You can also upload your custom rosters and use them in head-to-head online games. Finally, there's almost as many things to do online as there is off.

No matter what you're doing in the game, you're accumulating points towards your overall Madden score. Not only does it unlock hall of fame players and demonstrate just how dedicated you are to the game, you can also wager them in one-on-one games, which is a nice touch.

Visually, the game looks a good deal better than last year, though in some stadiums the replays tend to stutter. Once again, Madden is no longer the defacto announcer, but the local guys they have working the game aren't much better. We could do without the canon sound effects for long passes, but the wealth of animations in the game certainly help make up for it.

While it's great that there's a bunch of modes jumping on the pile, the superstar option fails to hit the mark and some roster database quirks pervade just about every option in the game. So while there's certainly more to do, there's still some work that needs to be done.

EA ruffled a few feathers when it introduced the passing cone interface,

and now it's been relegated to a selectable option instead of the default. But that hasn't stopped the publisher from completely revamping the kicking game using a golf-type swing meter. It provides for some nervous kicks when you first start playing, but it doesn't take long to master.

The most obvious addition to the gameplay is lead blocking control. This basically allows you to control another offensive player when the ball is snapped, make a block with that player, and then take control of the runningback. It takes a long time to get the hang of it, but once you do the results can be devastating.

One of the better gameplay additions is moving the special move controls

to the right analog stick. Not only does it make it more intuitive, but you'll find player specific animations based on the player's body type. Big guys will fight for extra yards all on their own, and speedsters come up with new jukes on seemingly every gallop across the line of scrimmage.

Aside from these tweaks, and the inclusion of coach’s challenges, the game has generally remained the same. Of course it's a case of not fixing something that isn't broken. Hot routes, audibles, defensive shifts, and more are just as intuitive as they've always been.

On the flipside, there are still some hangovers from prior games in the series. It's still difficult to keep receivers from running out of bounds on out routes, and DBs still drop way too many easy interceptions. With that said, the series continues to creep towards perfection, and with all the additions to this year's game, it's made some great strides.

Madden NFL 07 for the 360 is a huge leap forward for the series, especially compared to last year's game. But it still falls a little short thanks to some annoying bugs and some gameplay issues that have been around for the past half decade. It's loaded with modes--some good, some bad, and if you felt burned by last year's game, the 07 iteration will restore your faith in the franchise, if only a little bit.

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